Major Opposition parties claimed victory after the Centre announced that it would collect caste data in the next census, due since 2021.
However, several parties questioned the timing of the move.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi told reporters on Wednesday: “Earlier, Narendra Modi used to say there are only four castes, but suddenly his government announced the conduct of the caste census. We fully support this decision of the government, but the government will have to give a timeline as to when the work of the caste census will be completed.
“There are the models of Bihar and Telangana for the caste census. There is a huge difference between them. Telangana has become a model for the caste census and it can become a blueprint. We offer to help the government in designing the caste census.”
He added: “We have shown that we can pressure the BJP to do a caste census. We will show you that we can pressure the BJP to implement Article 15 (5) for reservation in private educational institutions, and remove the 50 per cent cap on reservation.”
Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad recounted how the socialists had been pushing for a caste census since the 90s.
He posted on X: “When I was national president of the Janata Dal, our United Front government in Delhi had taken a decision in 1996-97 to conduct the caste census as part of the 2001 census, which was later not implemented by the Vajpayee government of the NDA.
“We raised a strong demand in Parliament for the caste census again in the 2011 census.... The first caste survey in the country was also conducted in Bihar during our 17-month-long Mahagathbandhan government.
“This is a befitting reply to those who called us casteist when we demanded a caste census. We will keep making these Sanghis dance to our agenda.”
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav wrote on X: “The decision of caste census is a 100% victory of the unity of 90% PDA (Hindi acronym for other backward castes, Dalits and minorities)…. This is a warning to the BJP government to keep its electoral rigging away from the caste census. Only an honest census will ensure that every caste gets its rights and entitlements in proportion to its population, which the dominant castes have been eyeing till now.”
AAP’s national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda said: “The AAP has been demanding the caste census since the beginning but the BJP is not serious about the caste census. When the country was expecting that the government would take steps to take back PoK, the caste census is being used to divert attention.”
CPM general secretary M.A. Baby said: “The decision of the CCPA to include a caste census as part of the general population census is a belated response to the unanimous demand of the Opposition, including the CPM. However, even now there is no timeline given.”
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said on X: “This was needed urgently & it was a long-pending demand of many groups....”
NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) working president Surpiya Sule posted on X: “We had argued that if a caste-wise census is conducted, it will be possible for the government to take a decision on the demands of reservation of various caste groups….”
BSP chief Mayawati said: “The decision... is a step in the right direction taken after a long time.”